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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

NEED HELP with FCP and RED workflow!So Confused!!

copaderek

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Hi I have 3 Mags worth of footage that was shot with 4k and now I want to edit into Final Cut Pro. I have the newest Mac Pro with many upgrades as well as the most recent version of FCP. All I am looking to do is put the footage into FCP, edit this footage, as well as do some color correction with it in FCP, Magic Bullet and Color, and then eventually export the video at its highest quality so it can be put on television. Id appreciate it if anyone can just give me an outline, or point me towards something that can make this whole process clear for me. Thank you!
 
use the log and transfer plug in Pro RES to get the footage into FCP. Are you outputting to standard def?
 
I am not sure, it is a music video for TV so I am assuming broadcast quality, but I would also like to have the option of HD if possible to do both?
 
If you have a lot of clips then I would just use proxies to edit offline (since that won't add so much extra disk space), then use Crimson to take the good takes to REDCINE to do the first light, then output as Cineform HD quality, go through Crimson once again for creating roundtrip XML to replace the offline timeline on FCP with the Cineform clips, which give you more control since footage will be kept with 4:4:4 color space, you can use Magic Bullet, Look or Color Finesse for color grading. If you have to add some secondary color process then you will have problem using Apple Color since Color does not support formats other than ProRes or uncompressed, but then you can process such secondary color work on After Effects or Shake. Color is very intuitive for flexible process, it is too bad it doesn't support Cineform at this point. You can kind of fool Color to put whatever you worked on FCP timeline by placing the cineform timeline on to Uncompressed or Prores422HQ, render the timeline and send it to Color, so you can work with Color, but this way you need to use keyframes to control individual primary and secondary settings.

I've used L&T offline but ingesting time spent is not really worthy for me (because I can bare with not really realtime offline editing), and after I tried the Cineform, I really loved the quality and control over the colors. <This clip at the link> is really a quick test with Cineform codec clip edited with 1080 timeline. You can see using 4K 4:4:4 Cineform footage retains the control and the quality. Not the easiest way but if you can use After Effects, then Cineform could be realy ideal.

Then if you are to master it in SD, you still have 1080 size to play with. That will give you zooming freedom.
 
yeh I think that will be too difficult for me...any other simpler suggestions? I really just need to put into FCP then edit it, do some FCP color correction and maybe a bit with color and magic bullet, then just export it so its ready for TV...
 
Phaz gave you the right and simplest answer if you need to carry the audio through. Just use the L&T...it is simple. You might want to go to RED Alert first and create a "preset" though, with some changed settings (pushed chroma, higher contrast). Then, in L&T, just use this preset to get your levels close before color correcting in FCP later.

If you don't need audio, but want the same look you established on set (in camera), then use RED Rushes. No audio will pass through with this method, but you can choose "Camera Look" and it will use the metadata from your camera.

So...the question is audio or not?

Audio: L&T
No Audio: Red Rushes
 
yes I need the audio, so I will do the L&T..what about using Red Cine for the color correction before L&T is that possible, if so how? Also I just tried to do L&T and when I put it into my timeline it calls for the clip to be rendered upon drop in, and also whenever I make simple changes to it, why is it doing this?
 
ok I am transferring it into ProRES 422(HQ) and will edit with this...now when I am finished with the edit, how do I export it to the best quality and closest to the 4K it was shot in?
 
The easiest thing I found out to do, is edit with the 2K proxies, and then export the final edit through compressor. I have a few posts about shooting and editing with RED on a 48-hour project. You can read more at http://www.bayareafilmmakers.com
 
Copaderek, I mean this with no disrespect, but it seems like you should probably find someone that is familiar with the RED post process. There are a lot of nuances to getting this stuff right...that probably cannot be articulated in a "tell me exactly what to do" type board posting.

It doesn't get much more basic than L&T...but it gets a whole lot more complicated than that if you want to do it right, which for broadcast, you should have a budget for.

Hope this doesn't come across as rude, but you may stay out of serious trouble by hiring a post house that knows this stuff already.

Thanks and good luck!

Kevin
 
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